DeShields leads No. 17 UNC past No. 3 Duke 89-78

North Carolina's Allisha Gray (15) and Stephanie Mavunga guard Duke's Elizabeth Williams (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Monday, Feb. 10, 2014. North Carolina won 89-78. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The daughter of ex-major league infielder Delino DeShields hit 12 of 20 shots while becoming the first player to score 30 against Duke since 2009.

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“Cameron is just, historically, a tough place to play, so I didn’t expect any less tonight,” DeShields said. “What I was surprised at (was), I didn’t really care. It didn’t bother me one bit. I’m proud of myself for having that mental toughness. ... I shot an airball and laughed it off.”

After last week’s 88-67 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame, the Blue Devils have lost consecutive games at Cameron for the first time in two decades.

“I think that defense is something that this team generally wants other people to do,” coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We don’t get into defense. We’re playing defense to get the ball back on offense. ... Our transition defense has been awful. The difference in the game was transition defense.”

Alexis Jones had 15 points and 11 assists for the Duke, which twice in the second half trailed by double digits but closed within one possession. Liston pulled the Blue Devils to 63-61 with her free throw with 8:13 left.

DeShields then swished a 3 from the left corner on the Tar Heels’ next trip downcourt — holding her right hand in the air for a few extra seconds. Gray got behind Haley Peters for a fast-break layup through contact and hit the ensuing free throw to push the lead to 69-61 with 7:42 left.

Gray added another three-point play about 2 minutes later, and her 3-pointer with just under 5 minutes left put North Carolina up 75-64 — its third double-figure lead of the half.

This one stuck: Duke didn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way, and now has its first losing streak at Cameron since it lost to Virginia and Clemson in January 1994.

“We weren’t getting the stops to tie or go ahead,” Liston said.

DeShields eclipsed her previous high of 28 set against Arizona State in November and became the first player to put up 30 on the Blue Devils since James Madison’s Dawn Evans (31) on Dec. 18, 2009.

“Winning here is not easy. Winning here is not common,” DeShields said. “To be a part of that group of winners who come in here and do the job against great Duke teams, it’s always a great feeling. ... That’s part of history. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

DeShields and McDaniel helped the Tar Heels dominate the first half. They led 45-36 at the break after repeatedly pushing their lead to 12.

DeShields had 15 points and McDaniel had 12 at halftime against a Duke team that hadn’t allowed more than 44 points in any first half all year.

McDaniel’s 3-pointer about 15 seconds into the second half made it 48-36, but Duke temporarily made it a game again by reeling off 11 straight points over the next 2˝ minutes.